Abuse, neglect killed 51 Oklahoma children in 2004

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A report released this week by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services shows that the child death toll nearly doubled from 2003 to 2004. <br/><br/>The number was at 51 in 2004, a

Saturday, July 16th 2005, 6:37 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A report released this week by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services shows that the child death toll nearly doubled from 2003 to 2004.

The number was at 51 in 2004, a dramatic increase from the 27 deaths in 2003.

The deaths were caused as a result of neglect and abuse. Of the 51 deaths, about 59 percent were from neglect and about 24 percent from abuse.

The other deaths were a combination of both.

Beating and hitting were the leading types of physical abuse, accounting for about 21 percent of abuse cases.

About 80 percent of the victims were white and nearly 55 percent were male.